Book News

This book, by Andrew Nikiforuk, is available for free as a pdf download. You need to hurry, though, it’s only available through March 20 (that’s tomorrow, as I write this).

This is a very important, and controversial, issue that directly impacts birds and other wildlife, and indirectly affects every living thing on this planet. Here is some more information on the book:

Canada has one third of the world’s oil source; it comes from the bitumen in the oil sands of Alberta. Advancements in technology and frenzied development have created the world’s largest energy project in Fort McMurray where, rather than shooting up like a fountain in the deserts of Saudi Arabia, the sticky bitumen is extracted from the earth. Providing almost 20 percent of America’s fuel, much of this dirty oil is being processed in refineries in the Midwest. This out-of-control megaproject is polluting the air, poisoning the water, and destroying boreal forest at a rate almost too rapid to be imagined. In this hard-hitting book, journalist Andrew Nikiforuk exposes the disastrous environmental, social, and political costs of the tar sands and argues forcefully for change.

The Boreal Songbird Initiative has further information about the book and the giveaway.

Princeton has just published a wonderful Encyclopedia of Birds. I just wanted everyone to be aware that it appears to be a softcover version of the 2003 Firefly Encyclopedia of Birds.

I do not know if it has been updated in any way, but from a quick glance it looks the same. I think it’s safe to say that if you already have the Firefly edition, then you can skip the new one. But if you don’t, then go for the Princeton, unless you have a strong preference for hardcover binding or you can find the Firefly for significantly less.

Either way you go, this encyclopedia is fantastic!

The only thing better than bird books is cheap bird books! Here are some bargains I’ve found on Amazon. FYI: some of these are remaindered, so there may be a sticker on the cover, or a black mark on the bottom. I’ve bought remaindered books from Amazon before, though, and these have yet to be a problem.

• Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America – $10.49
  This is a great deal on the new, combined Peterson guide.
• Pete Dunne on Bird Watching: The How-to, Where-to, and When-to of Birding – $4.80
  Still one of, if not the, best book on birding.
• The Sibley Guide to Birds – $17.99
  Half-off the best North American field guide.
• To See Every Bird on Earth: A Father, a Son, and a Lifelong Obsession – $4.99
• Songbird Journeys: Four Seasons In the Lives of Migratory Birds – $5.58
• The Backyard Bird Lover’s Field Guide: Secrets to Attracting, Identifying, and Enjoying Birds of Your Region – $8.00
• Fifty Places to Go Birding Before You Die – $4.99

I haven’t found a whole lot of bargains at Amazon lately. These are the only two that I’m aware of.

• To See Every Bird on Earth: A Father, a Son, and a Lifelong Obsession – $4.99
  by Dan Koeppel
• Field Guide to the Birds of Peru – $19.95
  by James F. Clements and Noam Shany
  This guide did not get very good reviews, and has been supplanted by the more recent Birds of Peru. However, if for some reason you’d like to get this one, this is the best price for it that I’ve seen.

Here is a selection of bird books that will be published shortly.

• The Young Birder’s Guide to Birds of Eastern North America (Peterson Field Guides)
  Bill Thompson III
  April 30, 2008 (Amazon has it in stock now)

  The early remarks on this are universally enthusiastic. If you know a kid in eastern NA who is, or may become, interested in birds, definitely consider getting them this book.

• Birdwatcher: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson
  Elizabeth J. Rosenthal
  May 1, 2008 (Amazon has it in stock now)

  This is the second Peterson biography this year.

  
  

• On Feathered Wings: Birds in Flight
  Richard Ettlinger
  May 1, 2008

  I love bird photography, so I’m looking forward to seeing this one.

  
  

• Falcon Fever: A Falconer in the Twenty-first Century
  Tim Gallagher
  May 9, 2008 (Amazon has it in stock now)

  From the author of The Grail Bird: The Rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker.

  
  

• The Raven: Soaring Through History, Legend, & Lore
  Lynn Hassler
  May 15, 2008

  
  

  
  

• Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America
  Ted Floyd
  May 27, 2008

  This sounds very intriguing, especially the included DVD with 576 MP3s (from 136 species). And all for less than $20!

Here are some good deals on Amazon.com. You can hover over the link to check the current price.

I’ve been watching the prices on these books for a little while and they have been steadily decreasing. They are all at least 50% off the retail price. However, I’ve seen some prices shoot back up to the “normal” range with no warning (in fact, one of them just did so today before I could post this). So if you see one you want I would suggest jumping on it. If it drops further after you order you can request a price adjustment within 30 days of the shipment date. I’ve done this a couple of times, and it’s quick and easy.

• Seabirds: A Natural History – $13.34 Back to the normal $32.90
  by Anthony J. Gaston
• Fifty Places to Go Birding Before You Die – $8.09 Back to the normal $16.47
  by Chris Santella – Review
• Good Birders Don’t Wear White: 50 Tips From North America’s Top Birders – $3.05 Back to the normal price of $8.95
  edited by Lisa White – Review
• The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth – $2.79
  by E. O. Wilson

The following are remaindered/bargain books and thus may have either a sticker on the cover or a black mark along the bottom. But they are new. The copy of Club George I received only had a easily removable sticker over the UPC on the back.

• Lives of North American Birds (Peterson Natural History Companions) – $9.99
  by Kenn Kaufman
• Songbird Journeys: Four Seasons in the Lives of Migratory Birds (Hardcover) – $5.99
  by Miyoko Chu
• To See Every Bird on Earth: A Father, a Son, and a Lifelong Obsession (Hardcover) – $6.99
  by Dan Koeppel
• Club George: The Diary of a Central Park Bird-Watcher (Hardcover) – $3.99 Currently unavailable
  by Bob Levy

Publishers seem determined to test the maxim that you can’t have too many field guides. But who am I kidding? If these have new content, then I’ll be getting them!

• Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America
  Ted Floyd
  May 27, 2008

  Details are available from ABA Sales. This sounds very intriguing, especially the CD with 576 MP3s (from 136 species). And all for less than $20!

• Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America
  Roger Tory Peterson
  August 28, 2008

  This will probably combine the previously separate eastern and western editions. Also, it appears that with purchase of the book you get access to a website where you can view video podcasts.

• National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern North America
  National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America
  Jon L. Dunn and Jonathan Alderfer
  October 21, 2008

  I assume these will just be regional versions of the current 5th edition of the full North American guide. That guide isn’t nearly as large as the full Sibley Guide, so I’m not sure these new versions are justified unless they will have further updates or some new content.

I found these while browsing through Amazon (yes, I’m pretty much always looking for books!). I’ve already ordered some of them since I couldn’t find new or used copies for cheaper anywhere else, especially given the free shipping for orders over $25.
Note: Birders and Club George are remaindered/bargain books and thus may have either a sticker on the cover or a black mark along the bottom. But they are new. The copy of Club George I received was a hardcover and had a easily removable sticker over the UPC on the back.

• Bird Songs From Around the World: Featuring Songs of 200 Birds from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology – $21.99 (51% off) $20.89 now $29.70
  by Les Beletsky
• Birders: Tales of a Tribe – $3.99 No longer available
  by Mark Cocker
• Club George: The Diary of a Central Park Bird-Watcher – $3.99
  by Bob Levy
• Good Birders Don’t Wear White: 50 Tips From North America’s Top Birders – $4.38 $3.22
  edited by Lisa White
• Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America – $4.07 $10.26
  by Kenn Kaufman and Jim P. Brock
• Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America – $3.87 $3.79 $12.89
  by Kenn Kaufman and Eric R. Eaton

• The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw: One Woman’s Fight to Save the World’s Most Beautiful Bird
  Bruce Barcott
  February 5, 2008

  Book titles and cover copy are often flush with hyperbole. Which bird deserves the title “World’s Most Beautiful” is debateable and subjective. But I’m not going to argue with the publisher of this book. I’ve been fortunate enough to see some wild Scarlet Macaws and they are easily the most spectacular creatures that I have yet to see.

• Flights Against the Sunset: Stories that Reunited a Mother and Son
  Kenn Kaufman
  April 21, 2008

  Sweet, a new book from Kenn Kaufman!

  Book Description (from Amazon.com):
  In a moving story about a son’s relationship with his mother, a world-famous birder relates the essence of his passion for nature.

  At the age of sixteen, Kenn Kaufman left home to travel the world in search of birds. Now a grown man and a renowned ornithologist, he has come back to visit his ailing mother and to try to explain to her what drove his obsession with birdlife. His explanation takes the form of a series of interlocking tales from the frontier where the world of birds intersects with the world of the humans who pursue them. The stories range over settings from Alaska to Africa, from trackless jungles to parking lots. They delve into subjects from first dates to last rites, from imagination and desire to sleep deprivation, from poignant encounters with eternal mysteries to comical brushes with biker gangs and secret agents. But as the stories unfold, the ornithologist comes to realize that he can still learn some things from his mother, about life and even about the meaning of birds.

  Flights Against the Sunset brings together nineteen of Kenn Kaufman’s best essays from his long-running column in Bird Watcher’s Digest. They are woven into an original story that examines how we communicate about our passions with those who do not share the same level of interest, and that celebrates the world of infinite possibilities and wonder.

To See Every Bird on Earth: A Father, a Son, and a Lifelong Obsession, by Dan Koeppel

I have yet to read this book, but I just jumped on this deal and it will be added to my queue of books to read.

• Paperback – $4.99 at Amazon.com No longer available
• Hardcover – $6.99 at Amazon.com